Jessica Middleton-Pugh

The developers behind the £300m overhaul of Manchester’s Great Northern Warehouse have amended the scheme, replacing plans for 130 apartments within the main warehouse with 146,000 sq ft of offices.

Developers Trilogy Real Estate and Peterson, alongside architect SimpsonHaugh and main contractor Laing O’Rourke, gained planning consent for the first phases of the comprehensive redevelopment in March this year.

Phase one will see increased and improved public realm, while phase two focused on the red-brick listed warehouse, which was set to be converted into the apartments, with a gym, food and beverage, and retail. The space is currently used as a car park.

According to a report submitted to Manchester City Council’s executive, the decision to deliver offices instead of residential is due to the demand for commercial space within the Civic Quarter. In addition, an office conversion apparently requires fewer construction interventions than a residential development.

There will still be 12 flats delivered along Deansgate Terrace. Alongside the public realm, these will form the first part of the project to start on site, scheduled for next year.

Yes I agree with Elephant man – it this could have been great as a community. Don’t think Liverpool or Manchester have got that age range yet of all ages from grad to retiree to young family sorted yet.

PDM – about 2,300 people moved into Manchester city centre between 2016 and 2017, and the trend is continuing. I know you got banned from Skyscrapercity for constantly posting bile on there, nobody wants to see it here either

I understand that the listed status of the building (couldn’t put in more windows) was one of the key problems. It made the original plans nonviable from a sales income perspective (i.e. they could not get enough flats in to make enough cash from these receipts) so an office conversion was inevitable.